(DW) – Pope Francis plans to hold an interfaith prayer ceremony next week amid the ruins of Ur, an ancient Mesopotamian city and the traditional birthplace of Abraham.
In a service the Vatican has dubbed “Prayer for the sons and daughters of Abraham,” the pope will conduct a service promoting harmony between different religions and will be attended by Christians, Muslims, Mandaean-Sabaeans, Yazidis, and other religious minorities in Iraq, according to Reuters.
Ur, which lies approximately 200 miles south of Baghdad, features as the historical home of Abraham, where he lived until God called him out of it, according to Genesis. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all claim Abraham as their father. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, the site’s most prominent feature, was first constructed in the 21st century BC and was later rebuilt from the ruins of the original structure in the sixth century BC by a Neo-Babylonian king. Saddam Hussein was also adding reconstructions of his own to the facade.
Nearby the ziggurat is a complex of brick structures dated to circa 1900 BC, including one that is billed as the traditional house of Abraham. Ali Kadhim Ghanim, the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage director for Ur, hopes Pope Francis’ visit to the region will bring international attention to the fragile site, which was once a bustling tourist attraction until wars and political upheaval devastated the country’s tourism industry. “Not only tourism, but we believe that there will be a Christian pilgrimage season,” Ghanim said. READ MORE
